Disappeared
by xTwilightxRosex
Summary: Post New Moon. Bella is tormented by a nightmare that Edward has left her, only to realize that it's true. He's left her, but where has he gone? It'll shock you! Rated T because it may need the rating later onlanguage. Review!
1. Truly gone? Or just a nightmare?

_**A/N: **__This will probably just be a one-shot, unless people review and like it. If you all want more, I can write more. I know where I can go with this story, to an extent. It'll probably never turn into anything more than 7 chapters, unless I get inspired. So don't forget to review, everybody! Criticism is good, and appreciated. (Don't kill me, though. I wrote this in like…less than an hour. I found myself struck suddenly by a typing mood. I was going to do a depressing sonfic from when Edward left Bella, but I don't do good sonfics. Don't quite have the hand of them.) Enjoy!_

_**Rose**_

_**Disclaimer:**_ If I owned_ Twilight_ and _New Moon_ (and all relating characters), I wouldn't be writing fanfics based off the books, would I?

"_I've got to, Bella. Try to understand that." Edward's voice was soft; pleading, for me to understand._

"_Why?! You can't leave me. You…you promised me. After last time, you promised me you'd never leave…" I was on the edge of tears, but I didn't want to break down in front of him. Not now. But what did he expect me to say? That it's okay for him to go? That I understand? How can he do this to me again?_

"_Goodbye, Bella," He sounded defeated now, like he knew that I didn't understand- didn't __want__ to- and he'd accepted it. He leaned down and gave me a small kiss on the forehead and leapt out my window; leaving me on the verge of a complete emotional breakdown. I rushed to the window, but when I looked out, he was already gone. Probably all the way back at the Cullen's house, packing his things. I collapsed onto the hard floor of my bedroom and cried._

I woke up and glanced around my room. I had that awful nightmare again. My alarm clock began buzzing loudly. Reaching out, I knocked it off my bedside table. The buzzing stopped immediately. The clock said it was 9:00 am already. Expectantly, I looked over at my window. Edward will be here any second, ready to take me over to his house for the day, like we always do on Saturday mornings while Charlie went fishing. Before we leave, though, Edward will wait and complain while I shower, dry my hair, get my breakfast- all the 'mortal things' I need to do in the mornings.

Then reality hit me. Edward was gone. He'd left three two nights ago, and since he left, I've been replaying our last conversation in my head every waking moment. Then it haunted me at night as a nightmare. Edward had gone, though he wouldn't tell me where or why. Carlisle and Esme had stayed here in Forks, but I can't bring myself to see them. I tried to, the day after Edward had left me, but I broke into tears the moment I saw the house. Alice had gone with Edward, and she took Jasper with her. She didn't even come to tell me they were going. I had to find out from Esme- after I'd started to relax after my breakdown in their driveway. Neither Esme nor Carlisle would tell me where they'd gone, or if they were coming back. But the remorseful expressions they wore were answer enough. Edward wasn't going to come back.

The full impact of his departure hasn't hit me yet. I've woken up every day since he said his goodbyes to me thinking that he would be sitting in the chair across from my bed, waiting for me to wake up and greet him. I know that I'll fall into a deep depression after a few more days. When I can't hope anymore for Edward to come back.

Charlie was glad to hear that Edward was gone. He'd warmed up to Edward considerably since we got back from Italy a month ago, but what father really likes his daughter having a boyfriend in the first place? He was so glad that I was taking Edward's absence so well. I hadn't told him that my nightmares of him leaving were waking me up at all hours of the night, or that I cry for Edward all the time. He doesn't need to know. He might send me back to Renee if he thought I couldn't handle staying in Forks without Edward.

But I can't handle it. Why couldn't he tell me where he was going?! Why couldn't he have told me why he was leaving? He hadn't seemed like he wanted to leave. It was more like he had to leave. Tears welled up in my eyes thinking about some of Edward's final words to me. 'I've got to go, Bella. Try to understand that.'

I can't just keep sitting around hoping for him to come back. I need to find out for myself why he's left me again. Why he's broken his promise to me. Desperately, I shoved the key to my truck into the ignition. With a roar, my truck started up. I usually can't get my truck to go over 45 miles per hour, and I don't try to, but I pressed the accelerator to the floor and sped to the Cullen's house. Carlisle and Esme won't keep the truth from me. Not in the condition I'm in. _Damn._ I didn't even change out of my pajamas this morning, and I didn't so much as touch a brush. I probably look like I just rolled out of bed. Which I did. Oh, well.

Pulling into the Cullen's driveway, I saw that Carlisle's car was gone. He must already be at the hospital. But Esme's car was still sitting at the top of the driveway. I snatched the key from the accelerator and ran up to the front door. Not bothering to knock or use the doorbell, I opened the unlocked door and ran into the house.

"Esme? ESME?!" Checking all the downstairs rooms, I couldn't find Esme. Where was she when I was looking for her?! I started up the stairs and saw her leaving her room. She stared at me, looking faintly confused.

"Bella, what are you doing here? Are you okay?" She sounded concerned.

"No, I'm not okay. Where is Edward? And why'd he leave?"

"Calm down, Bella. You know Carlisle and I don't know-"

"Liar! You know exactly where he is, _and_ why he's left!" I felt the tears coming on. I felt awful yelling at Esme like I was, but I needed to know.

Esme let out a defeated sigh and led me back downstairs and over to the couch. "Bella, you need to understand that Edward didn't want to leave you. But he didn't have a choice." I thought as much. But he still left. What could've been so important that he had to leave me? Some tears escaped and trickled down my cheeks. Esme waited to make sure I was okay before she went on with her explanation, "A few days before he left, Edward received a message from the Volturi. I don't know what the message said; Edward wouldn't talk about it. He brooded for a few days, and then he told us that he had to leave."

I stared at Esme, uncomprehending. She searched my eyes and my expression, to see my reaction. She realized that I hadn't put the whole puzzle together yet, and she sighed. She probably hoped she wouldn't have to clarify it any more than she had.

"Bella…Edward has gone to Volterra. He's joined the Volturi."

_**A/N:**_ _I'm sorry if it seems like Edward's decision to join the Volturi seems OOC, but there is/was reasoning behind it. Which will be (hopefully) evident if I continue this, and if I don't, then it's got a few loose ends that aren't tied up. So if you like it and want some more, again, review and lemme know. If you don't, tips I can use to improve it are welcome. Thanks for reading._

_**Rose**_


	2. Letters

_**A/N: **__You lovely, lovely people that wanted more…Well…I wasn't really __planning__ on doing more of the story, but I also wasn't planning on anyone liking that first chapter. So here I am, once again, with a new chapter, hoping not to let you all down. I thought long and hard about what direction to take this story in. It could easily turn into your usual 'Bella sits around depressed until fate intervenes' story, but I'm thinking Bella's gotta toughen up a bit. So I'm gonna keep her depression at a minimum. Hope no one minds. ;)_

_**Rose**_

_**Disclaimer: **_I double-checked, just so I could be sure, but I still don't own _Twilight, New Moon, _or any of the characters in it.

"_Bella…Edward has gone to Volterra. He's joined the Volturi."_

No. I must have heard Esme wrong. Edward wouldn't join them. He _couldn't_. The Volturi fed on humans…A shiver traveled down my spine as I remembered the screams of the unfortunate tourists in Volterra. Edward would never join those monsters. I threw a glance at Esme and saw it in her face. I'd heard right.

"Esme…" I started hesitantly, unsure if I really wanted to ask her, "Esme…I need to see that letter."

I expected her to say no, to say that it might hurt me to read it. Instead, though, she nodded slowly and went upstairs to retrieve the letter. She came back downstairs and took a seat next to me on the couch. Those damned tears started welling up in my eyes again as I grabbed the letter. There was no way I was going to start crying before I'd even _read_ the letter.

With trembling fingers, I opened the small envelope the letter was contained in. I unfolded the letter and read it carefully. It seemed strange that this letter could make Edward leave me without explanation, and join the Volturi. I read it again, even more carefully. Maybe there was something I was missing?

"_Dear Edward,_

_We would like to ask you, once again, to please reconsider your decision about joining us. Your gift would be of immense use to us, and you know that it would be much less wasted if you were here with us. Please think about your decision, and let us know your answer as soon as you can. We're very eager to hear from you._

_With high hopes,_

_Aro"_

Frustrated, I tossed the letter aside. There wasn't anything in the letter that was threatening. Nothing that would make Edward want to join them. But maybe there was something else; maybe Edward had received something with the letter that had made him feel as though he had to leave me. What could it have been, though? I turned to Esme, confused.

"Was this all that he got from them? There was _nothing_ else with the letter? Or maybe another letter that came?"

She turned a pitying look on me. "No, Bella. There was nothing else. Nothing Edward told us about. If you think you'll find something, though, you can go ahead and look in his room. If he had received anything else from…_them_," Esme spit out the word as though it were poison, "And he didn't want us to know about it, he probably would've kept it there."

I hesitated. It was painful being here at the Cullen's without Edward or Alice around. I was still fighting back those irritating tears from taking the letter. Can I handle going into his room? I tried to smile at Esme, and failed. Nodding, I got up and went to the stairs.

Opening the door to Edward's room, I saw that everything was still there. He hadn't taken anything with him. That could mean that he was planning on coming back, couldn't it? But then I noticed something. There was a small, folded piece of paper sticking out from under a picture of Edward and I that he kept by his (useless, since he doesn't sleep) bed. Esme probably wouldn't have noticed it; Edward's room was completely trashed, like he'd been upset and thrown everything onto the floor. But I had a feeling that the paper was meant for me to find.

I picked it up and unfolded it carefully. There was some writing on it, in Edward's neat, flowing hand.

"Bella,

I know you'll find this letter when you come to find out why I left. Bella, I want you to try to understand that. I had to leave. If I stayed in Forks, you would've been hurt. You know I won't let that happen to you. I'm sorry, Bella, but this letter is the last you'll hear from me. Ever. It's better this way, for both of us. I'm sorry. You know I love you, and I always will.

Love,

Edward

P.S. Please, for both our sakes, don't try to find me. Please, Bella, don't."

I bit my lip as the tears came flooding down my face. He was never coming back? Ever? How can he write that letter and not tell me why he had to leave? _"I want you to try to understand that." _Those were the same words he used when he said goodbye. It stung, realizing that he'd used the exact words again, and the memory of his goodbye came flooding back to me. Why did he repeat that? He had to have known it would hurt me. I remembered his other goodbye, when he had hurt me to make me stay away. No. I couldn't think like that. Edward couldn't have been trying to hurt me like he did last time; not when he said he loved me a few sentences later. There was something I need to find in this letter, I'm sure. I wiped the remaining tears from my eyes and studied the letter again.

My eyes fell on the post script. _"Please, for both our sakes, don't try to find me. Please, Bella, don't." _That wasn't right. It couldn't be. Edward knows me, and knows that being told _not_ to do something only makes me want to do it more. That's it. He wants me to find him. If nothing else, to find out why he had to leave. Maybe I could find out why Alice and Jasper went with him.

I ran back down the stairs, tripping somewhere in the middle, and looked at Esme, confident in my decision. "I'm going to find him. I'm going to Volterra."

Shock spread over Esme's face. "No. No, you're not going there alone. I won't allow it."

I smiled. Did she think I was crazy? I didn't plan on going _alone_. "I know. That's why you and Carlisle are coming with me."

_**A/N: **__Like I said, I'm not going to let Bella just sit around and cry, or be some depressing emo kid. That would make for a pretty boring story pretty fast. But don't worry. She's not going to be very out of character. I think I can make her a bit more confident and maybe a bit more courageous without losing her 'Bella' moments. If you don't like the way the story's going, you can let me know in a review. I like criticism, as long as there's a reason behind it._

_**Rose**_


	3. Mission

_**A/N: **__I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner, but you see, with a severe lack of reviews, I can't help but think that no one's reading this anyway, so why bother writing it? So please, review and rate! This story can't survive without reviews!_

_**Rose**_

_**Disclaimer: **_No, I'm still not the owner of_ Twilight _and _New Moon._ Sorry. ;)

I was content as I packed my duffle bag; filling it with clothes for the trip to Europe. I wondered what the weather would be like in Italy, but I guess it doesn't matter. I don't have a very large variety of clothes. That's what comes of living in Forks- the weather was always bad, so I never bought much of an array of clothes.

It hadn't taken much persuasion to get Esme to agree to accompany me to Volterra, and it had taken even less for Esme to convince Carlisle to come along. I'm not sure what I would've done if they hadn't agreed to go. I just let them assume that I'd find a way to get to Italy on my own. In reality, though, if I didn't have Carlisle and Esme helping, I probably wouldn't have gone anywhere. I'm not suicidal, after all. The way Carlisle and Esme had been keeping a careful eye on me since her confrontation with Esme, though, it was fairly clear the two of them think I've gone insane. I laughed a little thinking about it. Maybe I _was_ insane. What's so wrong with that? I need answers.

Esme and Carlisle had taken care of my tickets, and had made up some story for Charlie for me. I never asked what they told him- it seemed like he believed it and had no idea that Edward was a part of the reason for the trip, so I figured I'd leave it alone.

I ran downstairs once I had all my clothes crammed into my bag. Charlie was waiting for me at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. When I started rooting through the kitchen for something quick to eat while I waited for Esme and Carlisle to pick me up, he looked up from the paper.

"You leaving?" He asked, pretending to sound unconcerned. I could see through his act. He's as bad as I am when it comes to hiding emotions.

I nodded while I dug through the refrigerator for some yogurt. "As soon as Esme and Carlisle get here," I shut the fridge, giving up on breakfast entirely. I saw him looking at me, worried. "I'll be fine. I've got Esme and Carlisle with me." _They're a lot more protection than you think…_

Charlie nodded, and said quietly, "Just…Just be careful Bella, okay? Stay safe. Promise me you will?"

_Damn._ What was I supposed to say to that? I can't really promise that, considering the fact that I'm walking right into a nest of vampires that probably want me dead. Ignoring the little voice in my head telling me that I was as good as lying to Charlie, I replied, "I promise I'll be careful." It wasn't what he wanted me to promise, but he didn't seem to see the difference. With a sigh and a rustling of newspaper, Charlie stood up and with a half-wave goodbye, he headed off to work.

As soon as Charlie was out of sight, Carlisle pulled into the driveway. Esme got out of the car and came inside. I pointed mutely at my duffle bag; she nodded and picked it up. We walked out to the car and I climbed into the backseat while Esme stowed my bag in the trunk. Once Esme was back in the car, we were off. Driving fast with Carlisle reminded me of riding with Edward. I shoved the memories out of my mind. He left me, and until I knew why, I couldn't think about missing him.

( P ) O ( V ) ( S ) H ( I ) F ( T )

Unknown POV

I was surprised that they didn't sense me nearby. They must not be expecting anything to go wrong. I'd been hiding in a cluster of trees for days now, watching as Bella got ready for the much-anticipated trip to Volterra. Aro had been sure she would come. He seemed rather excited about it when he contacted me last. Then again, perhaps Alice saw it. I shrugged. It didn't matter how he knew. He was right. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed.

It only rang once before it was answered, "Yes?"

"She's coming."

"Excellent."

_**A/N:**__ Sorry if the beginning is a bit…off. I forgot that I was writing in first person, and I started writing in 3__rd__ person instead. I think I fixed everything, but just in case, that's why some might be messed up. Also, I don't intend on doing that Point of View shift very often. Maybe once more in the whole story. You know, though. Sometimes, for storytelling purposes, a 1__st__ person story has to shift perspectives._

_**Rose**_


	4. Phone calls

_**A/N: **__Wow. I wish I'd updated sooner, but you know. Stuff happens. Sometimes life just kind of ties you up and holds you hostage for a while making you do all kinds of boring crap. Anyway, thanks to everyone who's been reviewing the story so far._

_Speaking of reviewing, I need some input from all of you. I've got a few potential ideas of where to take this story. Two involve Bella being turned, and one involves her…not. All of them involve somebody in some sort of trouble. Assuming I don't forget what they are, those are the options. _

_**Rose**_

_**Disclaimer:**_I finally own _Twilight_ and _New Moon_! Okay, just kidding. They're not mine. Neither is Edward. Or any other _Twilight/New Moon _character. tear

Bella's POV

It took about an hour to reach Port Angeles, where our flight was leaving from at 8:00 this evening. I was dreading the plane ride. Somehow, Carlisle and Esme had found a nonstop flight to Sovicille, Italy. From there, we'd have an hour drive to reach Volterra. First I'd be stuck on the plane for over 30 hours _**(A/N: Don't even ask. I went through hell to figure that out. No, There are no flights leaving from Port Angeles to Sovicille, according to ANY online ticket things I've used. But there's an airport in both places.) **_, then I'd have to deal with being stuck in a rental car for another hour. So far, this whole rescue mission idea kind of sucked. But I needed to know why Edward left. Again. He _had_ to have a reason behind it. Didn't he?

"Bella?" Esme's voice startled me out of my thoughts. She sounded concerned. I stared at her for a minute, confused, before she continued, "Bella, aren't you hungry? You didn't eat any breakfast before we left, and it's nearly 1:00. Don't you need to eat something?"

Of course. Food. Humans did tend to need that, and since I was still _regrettably_ human…I hadn't even considered eating. After we'd gotten into the city, we'd checked ourselves into a hotel, to wait out the day. I'd been spending so much time today thinking about the flight, and about what we might find once we got to Volterra, that I hadn't noticed my stomach's now-insistent growling. "Oh, uh, right. I ought to go get something," I stammered, heading for the door. I slipped out before either Esme or Carlisle could object. They kept telling me that they'd pay for whatever I needed during the trip- including food. But I knew the plane tickets had been expensive, and along with the hotel here and in Volterra, they'd already spent a small fortune on me. Rich vampires whose 'daughter' could predict stock trends or not, I wasn't going to let them spend any more money on me than absolutely necessary. I grabbed some food from a dingy-looking McDonald's and ate it on the way back to the hotel.

I needed something to distract me. If I went right back to the hotel room, I'd spend another 5 hours sitting in relatively strained silence with Carlisle and Esme, all of us trying to avoid mentioning Edward, and I didn't think I could handle it. Getting closer to the hotel room, I glanced around at the shops and buildings on the sides of the street, looking for something that could distract me for an hour. Or five. The hotel was in sight, and still no diversions. I gave a small defeated sigh. Then I saw what I was looking for. A small bookstore sat on the other side of the street, nestled between two tall office buildings. I could _definitely_ spend a few hours in a bookstore.

I finally emerged from the bookstore hours later. I'd managed to kill almost all five hours of downtime I had. I'd also managed to scrape together enough cash to buy a few books. Maybe they'll help keep me from getting restless on the long, long, long, _long_ plane ride ahead. I doubted it. I got back to the hotel room, and I thought I heard voiced on the other side of the door. Of course, it made sense that Carlisle and Esme might talk to each other while I was gone- I _was_ gone for a long time- but why were they whispering? I pushed my ear to the door to hear better.

"I'm sorry. We had to." Esme's voice held a pleading note to it, like she was trying to get Carlisle to believe her about something.

"How could we not tell her? After what she's been through? She asked. You can't blame Esme. Bella was desperate," Carlisle was pleading, too. Wait…It didn't make any sense anymore. They were both pleading for _each other_ to understand? There was a pause in the conversation, before Esme resumed speaking.

"What do you want us to do? It's all been planned. We've got the flight; we have to head to the airport soon. We can't keep her here. She'd be furious if we cancelled the flight." There was a bit of anger in her voice now, like she was tired of arguing.

Then it hit me, and I realized I should've figured it out before. They were on the phone, trying to reason with whoever was on the other end. It had to be Edward they were talking to. Nothing else made sense. Without hesitation, I swiftly shoved the key card into the lock and threw the door open. "I want to talk to him." The strength of my voice surprised me. I'd expected to start breaking down, thinking of being able to talk to him. Instead, I was just pissed off. He _left_ me, and now he's trying to get Esme and Carlisle to keep me away from him?

Esme and Carlisle looked shocked. They simultaneously glanced at Carlisle's cell phone, which was laying between them on a table, on speakerphone. There was no sound on the other line, and I thought he'd hung up, until I heard him speak. "Don't come, Bella. Please." The phone went dead.

His voice had sounded smooth; velvety. Just like I remembered, only better, after having not heard it for so long. But he'd hung up on me. I wanted to hear his voice, now more than ever, and he didn't want to speak to me. I was crushed. Letting out a small, choked sob, my legs gave out and I fell onto the carpet of the hotel room. Esme was at my side in a second.

"Bella, are you okay? Are you sure you can handle this, after all? If you need to, we can cancel today's flight. We can get you back to Charlie, and if you feel like you're up to it some other time, later." Her voice held nothing but concern and good intentions, but I knew better. She was trying to do what Edward had wanted them to do. She was trying to discourage me from going. I shook my head violently, disagreeing completely with her.

"I'm going, Esme. I don't care what Edward said to you, asked you to say to me, I'm going," I announced in what I _hoped_ was a decisive tone. I glanced over at the clock sitting on the table that held Carlisle's cell phone. It was already 6:45. "We should get going, if we plan on getting past airport security in time to board the plane." Grabbing my duffle bag, I marched out the door and towards the elevator. I didn't wait for them to follow. If they were still coming with me, and I was sure they wouldn't let me walk into Volterra on my own, they'd catch up with me well before the elevator got to our floor.

An hour later, we'd made it through security and boarded our flight. I'd been right in my assumption that Carlisle and Esme wouldn't let me leave alone. They seemed to want me to forget about what happened in the hotel room, with Edward's phone call; not having mentioned it since we left the hotel. I wasn't going to make the flight difficult for them. They hadn't forced me to stay off the plane; hadn't shipped me back to Charlie, so I supposed I should let it go. But my thoughts kept straying to Edward's last words to me on the phone. His _only_ words to me.

"_Don't come, Bella. Please."_

(P)O(V) (S)H(I)F(T)

_**A/N:**_(I lied. I'm most definitely going to do POV shifts more than 'once')

Edward's POV

I called Carlisle as soon as the news of Bella's plan reached me. She couldn't come here! It would ruin everything. I thought that if I'd been easier on her this time- when I left her- she'd never come looking for me. I'd told her I was leaving as gently as I could. I tried to get her to understand that I _had_ to leave. She just couldn't accept it! And I knew that she wouldn't accept it, but I went anyway. It was for her, though. Always, everything; for her. If she came here, everything would be ruined, and she could be hurt. I remembered when Aro gave me the news that Bella was coming. _**(A/N: insert fun flashback music and fade in)**_

_My cell phone rang, and Aro snatched it up after the first ring. He'd been expecting Alec's call to come soon. Alice wouldn't tell me how Aro seemed to know _exactly_ when to expect the phone call, but she knew I suspected that she'd had a vision and told him. She even managed to keep her thoughts about it quiet when I was around. I couldn't figure out why she would tell Aro that Bella would come here. If Bella came, everything would go badly._

_  
"Yes?" Aro's voice was eager; waiting for the news he knew he would receive._

_Alec's voice on the other end was loud enough through the phone that I could pick up his words, "She's coming."_

"_Excellent." It seemed that Aro could barely contain his enthusiasm. He snapped the phone shut and clapped his papery hands. "I have wonderful news, Edward! Bella is on her way here to see you!" He laughed gleefully, finding nothing but pleasure in this rather expected turn of events. He could see that I didn't share his amusement, though. Immediately, his smile faded away, "What's the matter? Don't you want to see your Bella again?" Of course. I supposed that I should be at least a little happy, to see her again, but I couldn't make myself smile. I knew what could be in store for her when she arrived._

But no matter how I tried to explain the situation to them, Carlisle and Esme wouldn't listen to reason. They kept telling me how exquisitely determined my Bella was to come to Volterra. To find me. I might've been able to convince them to talk her out of it, though, if she hadn't come bursting through the door demanding to talk to me. She had to have been listening outside the door. I hadn't been ready for that. There was no way I was prepared to hear her voice again. It sounded the same as it always did, and yet it wasn't. There was something new in her voice. Confidence and determination. She didn't sound like my meek, unsure little Bella anymore.

I needed to get my mind off of Bella. I hadn't been able to convince Esme and Carlisle to rethink their plans, so there was no way they'd convinced Bella to go home. But maybe…Maybe they _did_ manage to convince her. Just as quickly as the small hope bubbled up inside me, my cell phone rang. I picked it up hesitantly. Glancing at the caller ID, a low growl escaped my throat. Alec. "What?"

"Be nice," Alec's voice was smooth and sinister on the other end. He really _didn't_ like me. Not that I liked him much, either. "She's coming, still. Boarded the plane. Out of my reach. Thought you'd like to know first." He hung up as another growl tore from my throat.

Grudgingly, I passed the news on to Aro, though he'd already found out, thanks to another of Alice's visions. Once Aro dismissed us, Alice pulled me aside.

"I'm sorry, Edward."

"What for?" I pulled away from her arm angrily.

"You know what for. Edward, I came with you because I knew it would help. And our presence here _has _helped. Bella's still okay."

"She won't be when she gets here!" I snarled, turning to face Alice. I saw a hurt expression flit across her face, thought she quickly arranged her expression into a calm, indifferent mask.

"Edward…" Her sweet voice was a whisper now, though I could still hear her perfectly. "Everything might still turn out all right. They might change their mind." She gave me another small hurt look and walked away, towards her room. I caught her thoughts as she left. _I hope they'll reconsider…If we can get them to see reason before anything happens. If I can get them to…tweak…their decision…Just a little bit._

I knew what she was thinking, and I roared down the hallway at her, "NO! There'll be none of that, Alice! I don't want you to say _ANYTHING _to them about it!" Not waiting to hear her response- verbal or mental, I stalked away in the direction of my room. No one would do _anything_ to Bella if I had any say in the matter. As I slammed my door, I smiled ruefully. I had no say in the matter. If I did, I wouldn't have come. I can't protect her forever, and if she refused to stay safe in Forks, there wasn't much I could do for her now. It was out of my hands. And I _hated_ it.

_**A/N: **__So? That wasn't too too painful, right? I'm hoping I got Edward, Alice, and Aro about right. Okay, so I don't care too much about Aro. He's…Well, he's Aro, so it's all good. And if I got a bit too out of character with Edward, sorry. It's 10pm here, and I'm exhausted. But I don't think I did too badly, considering that he needs to be tweaked just a BIT out of character for the purpose of that last few lines. He was being a bit of a defeatist, though, and no matter how much I yelled at him, he wouldn't change his attitude. _

_I need opinions. About Bella. Should she change: Yes or no?, if yes, what powers should she get?(gotta be something mental here, people, I think. Like everyone totally won't find out tomorrow when the book comes out. I'm 98 sure Bella's gonna end up a 'leech' by the end of the book. Got to. And she'll probably be changed under the planned circumstances for this story. Assuming the popular opinion is to change her.)_

_**Rose**_


End file.
